First I got the email, and then I went immediately to see what Stonee had to say. I agree with most everything he has to say. I do commend SOE for giving us the rest of the month free. I’m on the road until Friday, but you bet your boots I will be firing up the PS2 this weekend.
My first thought is wondering if there is a way I can rig the TV to take some screenshots. There are so many places and things I want to capture before the place goes into the dark void of internet land. (Wonder if they are wiping the servers or if they might be willing to sell them…probably not, copyright info and all that jazz.) Anyone have ideas on that?
Anyway, there is some grief there, but I’m holding it at bay with the simple thought that this game lived far beyond where I thought it would. And that I had literally years to play the game and never did. But then I hear the distinctive sound effects of the game (which I will be recording no doubt) and it shakes me a little. The opening music, the confirmation “bloop” and so on.
And…I’m already wondering where I should be when the lights go dim. For some reason it seems important to decide where to park my character when the game ends. My old guild all jumped their characters into the volcano outside Klik’anon. But I chose long ago to eschew that tradition.
Qeynos Prison seems appropriate symbolically – my characters trapped in bits and pieces, like Moriarty on the holodeck. And because I spent so much time grinding there. But then Highbourne cavernous secret cabal area under the main city was one of my main haunts. And of course Darvar Manor was the social hub of the game when I was playing. Or maybe I end where it all begin, the gleaming towers of Fayspire.
Anyway, I have some time to decide. If anyone wants to join me at the end, that would be neat. The game deserves more of an ending than a few lonely old veterans solo at their favorites haunts, that’s for sure.
When I started the game, I chose Ferran’s Hope server, simply because the name appealed to me. And perhaps that’s what hurts the most right now. When the servers shut down, hope is gone. I will never ago set foot in the land of Norrath as it existed 500 years before Everquest.
But perhaps its also a chance to explore what is, to me, the “future” Norrath, as it exists *in* Everquest. Maybe hope is not gone after all.
Anyway, that’s enough for tonight, I’m getting all sappy. I’m sure I’ll have another post on it later.
Harbinger Zero 
I’m torn on turning on my ps2’s. A big part of me just says to let it go and move on with the memories I already have. Moreover, even though I haven’t played in several months, I think I’m actually in denial that they’re truly axing the game. It’s always been an option to return and to think that option won’t exist will be a bit strange. I do wonder why now? What caused it to last this long and what would have caused it to last longer? What’s next? Will there be an EQOA2 or should I expect further bad news about my childhood games? Because if I can’t find my copy of Tony Hawk’s Proskater 2, I’m going to have to start bashing some Sony products.
I can’t fathom any motivation for what Sony does or does not do. To me, if its not costing them anything (other than electricity) and at least 1 person is subbed….keep it running.
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Please check out these sites if you want to save EQOA!
http://saveeverquest.webs.com
http://www.facebook.com/SaveEQOA
and send a tweet to John Smedley’s Twitter account @j_smedley
Hey Ayrica,
Your reputation precedes you, and, yes, I mean that in a good way. (-:
Thanks for the links.
I never played EQOA. Back when there was a European server I didn’t really think about it although I was aware of the game. Much later, when I realized that Everquest has become something quite special for me, on a level with other lifelong interests and affections, I thought I’d like to try all the varieties of EQ. I was ready to buy a PS2 to play EQOA but I was too late. The Euro server had closed.
Even then, I spent a good while looking into the possibility of buying a US PS2 (or PS1 even) and working around the various issues. I was thinking about it again as recently as this January. Missed my chance.
I probably should do something about buying an old Apple PC so I can play EQMAC.